Welcome

Welcome to my website, and to the next step on your search in finding guidance for yourself or someone you love. I offer counseling for individual adults, adolescents, couples and families. My office locations are in West Los Angeles and Marina Del Rey. For your convenience I offer evening and weekend sessions.

I provide a non-judgmental, honest atmosphere in which my clients can have the freedom to discover what is preventing them from leading a more satisfying life. I hold the belief that with the right guidance, my clients have the power to overcome any obstacle to make positive, lasting changes.

Areas of Expertise Include

Counseling for family members of addicts

Addiction & Substance Abuse Recovery

Negative Co-dependency Issues

Couples Counseling

Family Counseling

Depression, Anxiety

Effective Communication

Cognitive Behavioral Skills

DBT Skills, including Mindfulness

Professional/ Personal Balance

Body Image Issues

Love is what we were born with.
Fear is what we learned here.

Marianne Williamson

About My Practice

As a psychotherapist, it is my 1st job to provide an atmosphere to help you feel accepted and heard. My clients have described me as authentic, caring, and direct. I also believe that a sense of humor can be healing, uplifting, and help to shift a person’s perspective.

I want to help you achieve your therapeutic goals by learning about what motivates you as a unique individual. There is no one way for everyone to work through the same issue. I have a solid cognitive behavioral and family systems approach to my therapy practice. However, since every client has a different background and needs, I integrate approaches and techniques that a client will respond to and that best serves them.

In our daily lives we are expected to perform many roles, which can lead to feeling overwhelmed. Individual therapy offers a private time and space that is necessary for a person to evaluate those roles, and gain clarity on his/her own needs and capabilities. Through this process, the person is better prepared to lead a more conscious and purposeful life.

I specialize in working with recovering addicts and their family members. I have been working as a primary and family therapist in inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs since 2010. Addiction is known as a “family disease“ that negatively impacts not only the addict but their loved ones as well. Negative codependency, guilt, shame, anger and anxiety can all be present in relationships ruled by addiction. Recovery can be an immense opportunity for personal growth for both addicts and their loved ones.

My years spent working with doctors and other professionals recovering from addiction has given me great insight into the stressors specific to certain occupations, as well as the mentality it takes to reach a high level of professional success.

Through my clinical and personal experience, I have committed myself to assist clients understand their depression and anxiety. According to extensive studies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has yielded significant and large improvements concerning symptoms of anxiety and depression. I have personally seen depression and anxiety lift for my clients. Everyone deserves to lead a more fulfilling life.

Self-acceptance is an important key in my work with adolescents who may be struggling with forging their own identity. I enjoy working with, and have empathy for teens experiencing this exciting, and often tumultuous phase of life. Eating disorders often start during these early years. I help teens and adults who are battling with this problem, as well as any body image issues.

Intimate relationships can bring out the best and worst of us. From counseling couples I have found that relationships start having problems when there is a breakdown in communication. I try to assist partners in learning how to resolve conflict and communicate effectively. Frequently, couples also need to rediscover what connects them in a positive way. I have worked with many couples (and individual clients) in the LGBT community.

My Background

Laura Kay McLauchlin, LMFT

I have been involved in the addiction recovery field since 2010, having worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings in Southern California. I have taken on the roles of an individual and family therapist, group facilitator and interim clinical director. I got my experience working with medical professionals when I led the family therapy program at Promises Professionals Treatment Program.

I started my psychotherapy career working extensively with the mentally ill, homeless population in New York City where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University. I established meditation and drama therapy groups at Bellevue Hospital’s program for homeless men. I earned my Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Los Angeles where I worked as a therapist for their on-campus program for academically gifted teens entering college. I currently maintain a private practice in West Los Angeles and Marina Del Rey CA, and work in an outpatient mental health program in Santa Monica CA.

Media

Ms. McLauchlin is available for media appearances as an expert on a range of mental health issues including addiction, depression and relationships. She has a wealth of experience on camera.

View on YouTube

View on Vimeo

“Rewired Radio” Podcast on Radio MD

FAQ

Do you take insurance?
I am designated as an "out-of-network" provider for all insurance plans (except Medicare). This means that you will be asked to pay the session fee, and I will give you a "superbill" to submit for reimbursement directly from your insurance carrier, according to the terms of your particular insurance plan.
Questions to ask you insurance provider before starting therapy:

What percentage do they cover for out of network mental health care? ( I am a CA licensed Marriage& Family Therapist if they ask)

Is there an annual limit on sessions? (some insurers limit the amount of sessions they will cover in a calendar year)

Ask how to submit a claim if you don’t know how. I can help you if need be.

Will you consider a sliding scale fee?
Yes

How long are sessions?
Typical sessions run for 50 minutes. For initial Intake sessions I like to schedule 75 minutes. Couples sessions can often benefit from longer sessions of 75 minutes as well.

How often do you see a client?
I usually see clients once a week. After a time, we may decide together that you are close enough to reaching your therapeutic goals that we may see each other less frequently.

Do you do phone sessions?
I do have phone sessions with my clients if they are unable to make it into the office or if they are travelling.

Get In Touch with Me

If you are considering me as a therapist for you, I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation for us both to see if we’d work well together. Please call me or email to set up a time. I respect your privacy so please use this form for general inquiries and please do not send any private medical info through this form.